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11 Tips For Planning A Memorable Anniversary Party

May 28, 2019

Is there an important anniversary coming up in your family? The best way to celebrate is to throw a big anniversary party, inviting family, friends and loved ones. But as fun as anniversary parties are, they do require a bit of planning, particularly if there will be a lot of people. If it’s your first time organising such an event, the to-do list might seem overwhelmingly long, but we’re here to help.

One of the most important things to consider is the food and drinks that will be at the event, and along with that, how you’ll transport and store these items. You may have a very large guest list or a location that’s a little out of the way or remote, in these instances, it’s a good idea to consider a mobile cold room for your event. Food and drinks don’t last long in our hot temperatures—and we all know how hot it can get—so you need a reliable way to store the food and drinks, and you can also keep other items like flowers in mobile cold rooms so they stay fresh.

But, as we already mentioned, there’s more to making a great anniversary party than that. Here’s our 11 tips to help you plan it:

1. Set a budget

Just like any event, an anniversary party can get expensive if you don’t keep your spending under control.

By calculating the amount you’re comfortable allocating and basing all the purchases you’d make on it instead of just letting your expenses pile up, you don’t have to worry about spending too much.

Our tip is to make a spreadsheet of your budget and allocate how much you can spend for each item (and always remember to make a note of the actual expenses alongside).

2. Choose the date and time carefully

Whether the party will be big or small, you need to start planning it at least a few months before the anniversary party so you have enough time to organise everything and also give the guests plenty of notice.

3. Make a guest list for your anniversary party

A guest list is the starting point for sending out invites to your anniversary party. Make a list (or a spreadsheet!) of the guests you want to invite and include their contact information. Not only is listing out the guest numbers a great way of being able to gauge how much food and drinks to supply, but it’s also a good technique for picking up on people that you may have forgotten. There’s nothing worse than realising you forgot to invite someone important.

4. Come up with a theme

Having a theme makes planning everything else much easier. Knowing which colours to go with and what kind of decorations to use will help you plan your shopping list, and it will also give the party a more memorable and special atmosphere.

5. Prepare and send out the invitations properly

Whether you’ll invite the guests by mail, email or over the phone, mention the info they need to know, like the dress code or the couple’s wishes about their gifts.

If you’re throwing the party during a particularly busy season, when lots of people usually have their anniversary parties, send out the invitations with plenty of time to spare. The earlier the better, and if you’re worried that if you send them out too early that people will forget, you can always send out reminders closer to the event.

6. Pick the location that best suits your Anniversary party

The location for your party may depend on the couples’ wishes and the theme you’re going for. If it’s a more relaxed event, the beach may be an appropriate option. But if you’re having a formal party instead, some venue options would be an indoor event space or a fine dining restaurant.

Don’t forget to consider how many guests you’re having when deciding the venue, as you’ll need somewhere that can accommodate everyone. Reserve it well in advance so you can have it all to yourselves on the date and time you’ll choose to have the party.

7. Plan the food and drinks

Choose the food and drinks you’re serving according to the party’s theme. But check whether you’ll have guests with dietary restrictions, like vegetarians, vegans or people sensitive to gluten or dairy, so you can adjust the menu accordingly. Having your quest list on hand will help you determine how much food and drinks you’ll need.

8. Hire a mobile cold room in Brisbane

If you think you’ll need a mobile cold room or even a refrigerated vehicle to make your anniversary party run smoothly, make sure you book it in advance. That way you’ll be assured to get one and you can plan other aspects of the party around it. When hiring one, make sure it includes everything you’ll need, you can book the right mobile cold room for you here.

9. Work out the decorations

Like the food and drinks, the decorations should fit the party’s theme – but you can ask the couple to add personal touches to make the event truly special. Some ideas you can suggest are placing candles with their picture on every table, having custom floral arrangements and making a slideshow of their photos.

10. Choose appropriate entertainment

Depending on the theme, the entertainment can be casual or formal. Possible entertainment for casual anniversary parties include a DJ, icebreaker games and a photo booth. For formal anniversary parties, a band or musical performer could make a great addition.

11. Hire a professional photographer

It’s not unusual to ask a relative or friend to take pictures at an anniversary party. But if you want amazing photos to remember, hire a pro instead. There’s nothing like beautiful pictures taken by a professional photographer to make you and everyone else remember your party for years to come.